No office rate
Choose 61305 for exploration below the tentorium in the posterior fossa; choose 61304 for exploration above the tentorium.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
61305 Cranial exploration Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports an exploratory cranial opening to inspect the infratentorial compartment, including the posterior fossa around the cerebellum and brainstem. Compare 61305 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 61305 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$1709.65
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Neurosurgery
About 61305: Infratentorial exploratory cranial opening
Reports an exploratory cranial opening to inspect the infratentorial compartment, including the posterior fossa around the cerebellum and brainstem.
61305 represents an exploratory cranial opening directed to the infratentorial compartment—the posterior fossa beneath the tentorium, including access around the cerebellum and brainstem. A neurosurgeon performs the craniotomy or craniectomy in an operating room when the operative objective is exploration rather than a defined evacuation or drainage procedure. Select the code by the compartment entered, not by the skin incision or the patient’s presenting symptom.
The operative report should identify the infratentorial target and document that exploration was the work performed. If the surgeon treats a specified hematoma or abscess, select the procedure code describing that objective instead. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code’s anatomy and descriptor.
CMS billing rules for 61305
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU27.92 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU18.95 · 32%
- Malpractice RVU11.81 · 20%
26
Medicare services in 2024 · #5769 by national volume
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
61305 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
61305 describes infratentorial exploration. Use 61314 when the operation is specifically evacuation of an infratentorial extradural or subdural hematoma.
No office rate
61305 describes exploration; 61315 applies when the surgeon evacuates an intracerebellar hematoma.
Compare 61305 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1709.65
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 61305 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,758
- Code
- 61305
- Physician work
- 27.92
- Practice expense
- 18.95
- Malpractice
- 11.81
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 27.92 | × 1.000 | 27.9200 |
| Practice expense | 18.95 | × 0.875 | 16.5813 |
| Malpractice | 11.81 | × 0.566 | 6.6845 |
| Total RVUs | 51.1857 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$1709.65
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 27.92 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 18.95 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 11.81 | 0.566 |
(27.92 × 1 + 18.95 × 0.875 + 11.81 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $1709.65
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
61305 billing questions
How does 61305 differ from 61304?
61305 is for exploration of the infratentorial compartment below the tentorium. 61304 describes exploration of the supratentorial compartment above it.
When would 61314 or 61315 be more appropriate?
Use the code for the operative objective when the surgeon evacuates a defined hematoma: 61314 for infratentorial extradural or subdural hematoma, and 61315 for intracerebellar hematoma. 61305 describes exploration.
What should the operative report establish?
Document the infratentorial site entered and that exploration was the work performed. The report should distinguish exploration from a specific procedure such as hematoma evacuation or abscess drainage.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code’s descriptor and anatomy.
How are assistants and co-surgeons handled?
Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team surgery is not permitted.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
6,75561250,,Burr hole/treph sttl expl,A,,11.20,10.51,NA,10.51,,4.73,26.44,26.44,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75661253,,Burr hole treph ittl uni/bi,A,,13.15,11.20,NA,11.20,,5.54,29.89,29.89,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,2,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75761304,,Crnec/crnot expl supratntorl,A,,22.82,15.82,NA,15.82,,9.53,48.17,48.17,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75861305,,Crnec/crnot expl infratntorl,A,,27.92,18.95,NA,18.95,,11.81,58.68,58.68,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,75961312,,Crnec/crnot sttl xdrl/sdrl,A,,29.42,18.25,NA,18.25,,12.36,60.03,60.03,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,76061313,,Crnec/crnot sttl icere,A,,27.39,19.42,NA,19.42,,11.50,58.31,58.31,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,76161314,,Crnec/crnot ittl xdrl/sdrl,A,,25.25,17.69,NA,17.69,,10.62,53.56,53.56,0,090,0.11,0.76,0.13,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515